Upwardly acting door assembly



1965 F. D. CROSSWELL UPWARDLY ACTING DOOR ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 18, 1963 INVENTOR. T/ay 22 (706660? BY ji zi AT TOR N EY United States Patent 3,213,924 UPWARDLY ACTING DOOR ASSEMBLY Flay D. Crosswell, Hartford City, Ind., assignor to Overhead Door Corporation, Hartford City, Ind. Filed Feb. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 259,284 9 Claims. (Cl. 160-191) This invention relates to improvements in upwardly acting door assemblies adapted for use in trailers, trucks, freight cars and the like.

The principal objects of this invention are:

First, to provide an upwardly acting door assembly which includes counterbalancing means and cable connections therefor to the door in which the cable and connections are not subjected to bending strains or stresses during the opening and closing of the door.

Second, to provide an upwardly acting door including counterbalancing means having these advantages in which the parts are simple and economical in structure and readily assembled.

Third, to provide an upwardly acting door assembly comprising counterbalancing means having these advantages in which the parts are economical to produce and assemble.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of a truck embodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is an inside fragmentary view illustrating structural details of an embodiment of my invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on a line corresponding to line 33 of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section on a line corresponding to line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section on a line corresponding to line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view on a line corresponding to line 66 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is an inside elevational view of the cable coupling member.

FIG. 8 is an edge view thereof looking from the right of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a top view of a cable coupling member with a part thereof shown in initial position by full lines and in cable securing position by dotted lines.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention is il lustrated as embodied in a truck or trailer structure designated generally by the numeral 1 and provided with a rear door frame comprising uprights 2 and a top 3 fixedly connected to the uprights. The door sill is conventionally illustrated at 4.

In the embodiment illustrated the door is in the rear of the vehicle but it will be understood that it may be in the side which is common practice in freight cars and the like.

The door of the embodiment illustrated comprises a plurality of hingedly connected sections 5, the bottom section being desirably provided with a handle 6. The hinge connections for the sections are not illustrated as they form no part of this invention and hinge connections for upwardly acting doors of the sectional type are of various forms in commercial use.

The door frame uprights 2 are provided with track units 7, see FIGS. 3 and 4, comprising upright portions 8, upper horizontal portions 9 and curved intermediate portions 10. The tracks are fixedly connected to the inner sides of the door frame members 2 and are desirably provided with vertical seal means 11 and top seal means 12. The door is desirably provided with bottom seals 13.

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The door is provided with counterbalancing means which comprises the cable winding drums 14 and shaft 15 which is provided with a spring 16 connected thereto by the collar 17. These shafts and their supporting drums are mounted on brackets 18.

As stated, the embodiment of my invention illustrated is especially designed for use in vehicles, and the upper horizontal portion 9 of the tracks are disposed substantially in the plane of the winding drums as is illustrated in FIG. 2. However, the upright portions of the tracks with which the drums are in substantially vertical alignment are spaced substantially downward from the drums and the horizontal and vertical portions of the track are, as stated, connected by the curved coupling sections 10 disposed in downwardly spaced relation to the drums.

The counterbalancing cables 19 are desirably formed of a plurality of twisted wire strands as is conventionally illustrated in the drawing. The details of the connections for the cables to the drum are not illustrated.

An important feature of this invention is the connection of the cables to the door. The door is provided with a plurality of rollers 20 engaging the track, one for each door section. These are substantial duplicates except that the spindles 21 for the bottom roller are provided with mounting means comprising the brackets designated generally by the numeral 22 and comprising outer members 23 and inner members 24, the outer member being provided with a spindle socket section 25 and the inner member with a spindle socket section 26 disposed in opposed relation to receive the spindle as illustrated in FIG. 6. The outer member 23 is provided with an inwardly projecting flange-like portion 27 at its lower edge which projects inwardly and constitutes a stop member for the cable coupling member 28 which is provided with a bearing 29 disposed on the spindle at the inner side of the track engaging roller 20. This coupling member 28 is provided with vertically spaced knuckles 30 through which the cables are disposed and secured by clips 31 which are fixedly secured to the cables between the knuckles 30. The coupling members 28 are provided with stops 32 which project laterally therefrom to ooact with the abutment members 27 on the spindle brackets 22 when the door is in closed position as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. However, as the door is being opened and is in full open position, these coupling members are free to swing outwardly relative to the track, and in final position as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 3. With this arrangement, no kinking or bending stress is placed upon the cables as the doors are moved from open to closed position. At the same time the cables are securely connected to the door and they are positioned so that the door does not come in contact therewith as it is opened and closed and are not subjected to kinking stresses.

I have illustrated and described my invention in a highly practical commercial embodiment thereof. I have not illustrated and described other embodiments or adaptations as it is believed that this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt the same as may be desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An upwardly acting door assembly comprising side frame members, a door comprising a plurality of hingedly connected sections, tracks comprising vertical, horizontal and curved intermediate sections, the vertical sections being disposed on the inner sides of said door frame side members, the door sections being provided with rollers coacting with said tracks to slidably support the door and including rollers provided with spindles disposed adjacent the bottom edge of the bottom door section, counterbalance means for said door including winding drums disposed in vertically spaced relation to the curved intermediate portions of said tracks and cables operatively associated with said winding drums, brackets for the spindles of the rollers disposed adjacent the bottom edge of the door mounted on the innner side of the lower door section and provided with spindle sockets, cable coupling members pivotally mounted on said lower spindles between the rollers thereon and the edges of the door to project outwardly from said spindles, said coupling members having vertically spaced knuckles on their outer edges through which the lower ends of the cables are disposed, and clips for securing said cables to said coupling members disposed between said knuckles in clamping engagement with said cables.

2. An upwardly acting door assembly comprising side frame members, a door comprising a plurality of hingedly connected sections, tracks comprising vertical, horizontal and curved intermediate sections, the vertical sections being disposed on the inner sides of said door frame side members, the door sections being provided with rollers coacting with said tracks to slidably support the door and including rollers provided with spindles disposed adjacent the bottom edge of the bottom door section, counterbalance means for said door including winding drums disposed in vertically spaced relation to the curved intermediate portions of said tracks and cables operatively associated with said winding drums, brackets for the spindles of the rollers disposed adjacent the bottom edge of the door mounted on the inner side of the lower door section and provided with spindle sockets and having flange-like abutments disposed on the lower edge of the lower door section, and cable coupling members pivotally mounted on said lower spindles between the rollers thereon and the edges of the door to project outwardly from said spindles and having abutment-engaging stops thereon.

3. 'An upwardly acting door assembly comprising side frame members, a door comprising a plurality of hingedly connected sections, tracks comprising vertical, horizontal and curved intermediate sections, the vertical sections being disposed on the inner sides of said door frame side members, the door sections being provided with rollers coacting with said tracks to slidably support the door and including rollers provided with spindles disposed adjacent the bottom edge of the bottom door section, counterbalance means for said door including winding drums dis-' posed in vertically spaced relation to the curved intermediate portions of said tracks and cables operatively associated with said winding drums, brackets for the spindles of the rollers disposed adjacent the bottom edge of the door mounted on the inner side of the lower door section and provided with spindle sockets, and plate-like cable coupling members pivotally mounted on said lower spindles between the rollers thereon and the edges of the door to project outwardly from said spindles.

4. An upwardly acting door assembly comprising a door frame, a door disposed on the inner side of said frame, tracks comprising vertical, horizontal and curved intermediate sections disposed on the inner side of said frame, the door having rollers coacting with said tracks to slidably support the door and including rollers disposed adjacentthe bottom of the door, counterbalance means for said door including winding drums disposed in vertically spaced relation to the curved intermediate sections of the tracks, cables operatively associated with said Winding drums, brackets for the spindles of rollers disposed adjacent the bottom edge of the door, plate-like cable coupling members swingably mounted on said spindles between the rollers thereon and the door, said coupling members having knuckles on their outer edges through which the lower ends of said cables are disposed, and clips for securing said cable to said couplings disposed below said knuckles in clamping engagement with the cables.

5. An upwardly acting door assembly comprising a door frame, a door disposed on the inner side of said frame, tracks comprising vertical, horizontal and curved intermediate sections disposed on the inner side of said frame, the door having rollers coacting with said tracks to slidably support the door and including rollers disposed aidjacent the bottom edge of the door, counterbalance means for said door including rotatable cable supporting and guide members disposed in vertically spaced relation to said curved intermediate sections of the tracks, brackets for the spindles of the door supporting and guide rollers disposed adjacent the bottom edge of the door and having abutments projecting below the lower edge of the door, and plate-like cable coupling members swingably mounted on 'said spindles between the rollers thereon and the door and having stops thereon coacting with said abutments on said brackets to limit the outward swinging movement of the coupling members while permitting free inward swinging movement thereof.

6. An upwardly acting door assembly comprising a door frame, a door disposed on the inner side of said frame, tracks comprising vertical, horizontal and curved intermediate sections disposed on the inner side of said frame, the door having track engaging rollers including rollers disposed adjacent the bottom of the door, counterbalance means for said door including cable guide members disposed in vertically spaced relation to said curved intermediate sections of the tracks, brackets for the spindles of the rollers disposed adjacent the bottom edge of the door and having abutments projecting below the lower edge of the door, and cable coupling members swingably mounted on said spindles between the rollers thereon and the door and having stops thereon coacting with said abutments on said brackets to limit the outward swinging movement of the coupling members while permitting free inward swinging movement thereof.

7. An upwardly acting door assembly comprising a door frame, a door disposed on the inner side of said frame, tracks comprising vertical, horizontal and curved intermediate sections disposed on the inner side of said frame, the door having rollers coacting with said tracks to slidably support the door and including rollers disposed adjacent the bottom of the door, counterbalance means for said door including cables and guide means therefor disposed in vertically spaced relation to the curved intermediate sections of the tracks, brackets for the spindles of rollers disposed adjacent the bottom edge of the door, and cable coupling members swingably mounted on said spindles between the rollers thereon and the door.

8. An upwardly acting door assembly comprising a frame, a door, a track unit comprising vertical, horizontal and curved intermediate sections, the vertical section being disposed on the inner side of the door frame, the door being provided with rollers coacting with said track to slidably support the door and including a roller provided with a spindle projecting from the door, counterbalance means for said door including a cable and cable guide means disposed in vertically spaced relation to the curved intermediate portion of said track, and a plate-like cable coupling member pivotally mounted on said spindle between said roller and the edge of the door from which the spindle projects, said coupling member being provided with stop means limiting its inward swinging movement relative to the door while permitting it to swing laterally outward relative to the door as the door is adjusted to open position with said roller in supported engagement with the inwardly curved portion of said track.

9. An upwardly acting door assembly comprising a frame, a door, a track unit comprising an upright section disposed vertically on the inner side of the frame and a section projecting inwardly from the upper end of said upright section, the door being provided with rollers coacting with said track to slidably support the door and including a roller provided with a spindle projecting laterally from an edge of the door, a counterbalance cable for said door, and a plate-like cable coupling member pivotally mounted on said spindle between said roller and the edge of the door from which the spindle projects, said cable coupling member having stop means limiting the inward 5 swinging movement thereof while permitting it to swing laterally outwardly relative to the door and the track as the door is adjusted to open position with the said roller in supported engagement with the inwardly projecting portion of the track.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 788,761 5/05 Erwood 160-207 Scott 160-209 X Rush 160209 X Norberg 160-493 Stroup et al. 160-191 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiner. 

7. AN UPWARDLY ACTING DOOR ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A DOOR FRAME, A DOOR DISPOSED ON THE INNER SIDE OF SAID FRAME, TRACKS COMPRISING VERTICAL, HORIZONTAL AND CURVED INTERMEDIATE SECTIONS DISPOSED ON THE INNER SIDE OF SAID FRAME, THE DOOR HAVING ROLLERS COACTING WITH SAID TRACKS TO SLIDABLY SUPPORT THE DOOR AND INCLUDING ROLLERS DISPOSED ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE DOOR, COUNTERBALANCE MEANS FOR SAID DOOR INCLUDING CABLES AND GUIDE MEANS THEREFOR DISPOSED IN VERTICALLY SPACED RELATION TO THE CURVED INTERMEDIATE SECTIONS OF THE TRACKS, BRACKETS FOR THE SPINDLES OF ROLLERS DISPOSED ADJACENT THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE DOOR, AND CABLE COUPLING MEMBERS SWINGABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SPINDLES BETWEEN THE ROLLERS THEREON AND THE DOOR. 